[imagesource: Waldo Swiegers]

Perhaps, just maybe, this is the week that lands a damaging blow to the reputation of Julius Malema.

What reputation? Well, despite the fact that he’s been a crook and a charlatan for years, the EFF support base has continued to swell, and Malema’s ego swells along with it.

Earlier this week, in another damning piece of investigative journalism, the Daily Maverick and Pauli van Wyk unpacked how Malema lived the high life using the money of many impoverished South Africans.

Then EWN senior reporter Barry Bateman said what most South Africans were thinking, calling Malema a “p*es”, and the EFF leader played the sanctimonious card.

Zapiro clearly sees through the bluster of ‘Robbin’ Hood’, which brings us to yesterday’s EFF tribute to Robert Mugabe, and Malema’s statements on the day.

I’d say Mugabe was a murderous dictator who impoverished his people and brought his country to its knees, but let’s check in with Juju via City Press:

EFF leader Julius Malema gave a defiant tribute to former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, who he called a “patriot”…

“For so long we have been told by the white man who we should and should not celebrate. Murderers such as former president [FW] de Klerk are honoured and given Nobel prizes while we are constantly told that we should not celebrate our black revolutionaries such as Robert Mugabe,” Malema said.

“They can keep their [FW] de Klerk, we will keep our Mugabe.”

…He said Mugabe, like Biko, was “a towering figure in the revolution” which his own party sought to emulate.

Say what you want about de Klerk, but calling Mugabe a patriot is like calling the captain of the Titanic a fine navigator.

I don’t doubt that Malema seeks to emulate Mugabe, though.

The desperation really set in when, during the same Mugabe tribute, Malema decided to ban the Daily Maverick, Scorpio, and amaBhungane from all of their future events.

This from News24:

“Our people will never be told by Daily Maverick and amaBhungane who their leaders are,” Malema told attendees.

He described the two publications as frauds, designed to pursue the interest of Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

“We declare them as an enemy of the revolution, they should never participate in our events, we should never answer any question from amaBhungane, Daily Maverick from Scorpio. Let them write any nonsense they want to write about us. We know [the person] who writes their questions is Pravin.”

…”We shall treat them as enemies. Anyone who wants to go into solidarity with them in the media houses, you are more than welcome. Anyway, we are not getting any coverage. It’s not coverage what you are giving to us. It’s nonsense.”

Cute. Like a smaller, red Trump.

Facing a mountain of factual evidence, laying out his criminality step by step, he resorts to name-calling.

As you would expect, the Daily Maverick penned a superb response, headlined “This is what panic looks like”.

We’ll jump ahead to the conclusion of that one:

Every nasty little bank transaction; every fraudulent purchase. We cover him.

We expose the fact that, after all, his party is nothing more than a bargain-basement mafia organization stealing scraps from pensioners…

During an embarrassingly Muppets-In-Hell memorial service on Thursday, for recently departed kleptocrat Robert Mugabe, his Hitler-moustached replica still so fresh, he bans Daily Maverick, our investigative outlet Scorpio, and muck racking aces amaBhungane, from all future EFF events. We are, the celebrity politician says, ‘enemies.’

But this we promise: we’ll keep covering him. And his merry men. Every fraudulent transaction. Every stolen rand. Every lie. Every inconsistency. Every broken law. Every publicity stunt. Every race-baiting cheap trick.

He can “ban” us, in theory. We do believe he is denying us our constitutional right, and he will hear from our lawyers. It’s marginal, really.

But we will never ban him. Like most political hacks, he hopes shouting lies, screaming obscenities, and delivering non-sequiturs will make the story swing his way. It won’t.

Closing your eyes as the truck is hurtling towards you does not make the truck disappear.

We understand his panic. It’s warranted. Truth cannot be stopped.

Truth can be ignored, which is why the EFF grew in the most recent national election, but the investigative work must go on.

Finally, even Madam & Eve are getting in on the action:

Julius and his desperate band of merry men will only stop when they’re held to account by the law, so best somebody gets cracking on that soon.

[sources:citypress&news24&dailymaverick&dailymaverick]